


Gofer

by teamchaosprez



Series: The Gofer Project [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Apocalypse, Arachne Tojo Kirumi, Changeling Shirogane Tsumugi, Half-Orc Momota Kaito, Help, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mermaid Oma Kokichi, Mermaids, Monsters, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Game Personalities (New Dangan Ronpa V3), Shapeshifter Amami Rantaro, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Oma Kokichi, Trans Saihara Shuichi, Trans Tojo Kirumi, Vampire Saihara Shuichi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:11:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16372559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamchaosprez/pseuds/teamchaosprez
Summary: The 53rd season of Danganronpa started out without a hitch - and this season includes almost all monsters with the exception of one human who may not be as he seems. However, when contact with the studio is suddenly cut off, the killing game is delayed, Kokichi Ouma begins to remember, Rantaro Amami begins to feel, and Tsumugi Shirogane's anxiety grows with each passing day.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a cry for help  
> i am a trans man myself, some terms used may be a little dysphoria inducing (i.e. pussy)

When the killing game was originally announced, Kokichi was sure that it would only be a couple of days before somebody died. At first, he spent his time on guard, either spending time alone in his room or with at least two other people. Being in a school full of monsters would probably freak most people out even further, but having been given up by his mother at a young age and raised by an orphanage at first and a secret organization as he grew older… well, he had met a lot of people, both monster and human, and knew they could be equally scary or equally trustworthy.

Being the one and only human at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles didn’t even reach his thoughts a majority of the time, if he was being honest; most of his classmates looked more human than not, and even the most beastly of them - Kaito Momota the half orc, Gonta Gokuhara the golem, and Korekiyo Shinguji the tiefling, respectively - didn’t come across as anyone who would want to hurt someone. (Well, maybe Korekiyo. He gave off a vibe that made Kokichi more than a little nervous.) No, what worried him more than anything else was the fact that they were all expected to kill each other.

He had been writing notes about the situation on his whiteboard since the day Monokuma and the Monokubs explained the rules to them. One photograph per classmate seemed to taunt him at any given moment, and his messy handwriting scribbled evidence that only slightly connected. Kokichi was certain that something was going on in the school, certain that there was more to this highly organized killing game than met the eye. What pushed in his mind the most was the little detail that there  _ were _ rules. If this was only created to make them all suffer, then why was it so organized, and why was Monokuma so concerned with making sure that those rules were followed?

He clicked the top back onto the dry erase marker that he was holding, sighed heavily and tapped the marker on his forehead. Kokichi backed away from the whiteboard, collapsed back into his bed when his knees hit its foot. He let out a heavy sigh, stared up at the ceiling and hummed thoughtfully. Maybe he needed to take a break? Thinking about things too much and too intensively probably didn’t get him any closer to figuring anything out, he would just need to…

Kokichi was cut off by a sudden throb between his legs.

He was no stranger to getting horny at random and often inconvenient times, but it was usually triggered by something. This just hit him out of nowhere. Kokichi crossed his legs, huffed out a heavy breath and leaned himself a little further into the pillows; for the situation they were thrown in, the rooms they were assigned were somewhat comfortable. Well, he needed to take a break and unwind anyway, he supposed that cranking out a quick one was as good as any other.

* * *

 

_ Team Danganronpa’s studio and the massive dome next to it stood out like a sore thumb in the otherwise plain small town Mai Ouma lived in. Every time he passed it, he couldn’t keep a grimace from appearing on his face; he hated Danganronpa. Hated the innocent lives that were taken by its sick formula year after year, season after season. He wanted nothing to do with the team or their creation, but still, he needed to pass by the studio and the excited fans crowding around its tall gates and trying to get some sort of glimpse at the people auditioning for season 51. _

_ How could anyone get any sort of entertainment from the deaths of others? He couldn’t handle gore, and he got teary eyed every time he watched much of anything sad. Maybe that was why he didn’t have any friends, and maybe that was why his parents didn’t believe him every time he tried to come out to them. Mai wrinkled his nose as he walked past the crowd of people, tried to tighten himself to look a little smaller as he looked down at the concrete of the sidewalk and hoped that he could get home without much incident. Crime rates across the globe were down, but fans of Danganronpa… _

_ Well, they wanted so badly to take part in the show that involved teenagers killing each other. He didn’t trust them to not corner someone as small and weak as he was and try to prove to the studio that they were capable of the crimes the contestants were expected to commit. Mai swallowed at the thought. _

_ He rushed into his home, called out a quick greeting to his parents and got nothing in response. Maybe they weren’t home? Some relief rushed through him. Either that or they would ignore him. _

_ Either option was better than the days when they were both home, would yell at him and call him names and strike him across the face. He hurried into his bedroom, locked the door behind him and turned on his computer. Just another night of calmly doing his homework; this time, he might even be able to get through all of it before someone started calling for him. And he did, moving his way through the few assignments he was given to do over the weekend before he noticed a notification on his taskbar. _

_ He didn’t have friends, neither online nor off, but he kept a chatroom application on his computer out of hope anyway. He opened the app, found a message from someone by the name of KyokoKirigir1. Mai may not have been interested in Danganronpa even remotely, but he could recognize the name of the first season’s ever praised ultimate detective. _

**_KyokoKirigir1:_ ** _ Hey _

_ Who was this? He had never met them before, didn’t have them added on his friends list. He unplugged his computer from the wall, moved back to lay on his bed. He bit his lip, chose to take a chance - out of loneliness or fate, he didn’t suppose he would ever know. _

**_Diced:_ ** _ hi _

* * *

 

Kokichi jolted, though whether it was from the sudden flashback or his knuckle brushing against his clit he wasn’t sure. He sat up, more than a little confused. Why was he so terrified walking home? Why was he so lonely? At the very least, up until coming to the Ultimate Academy he’d had his organization every step of the way; if that was his memory, a memory of the outside world, he shouldn’t have been alone at all. And what the  _ fresh hell _ was a Danganronpa?

Ignoring the pulsating desperation between his legs, Kokichi wobbled over to his whiteboard and scribbled the word in handwriting even messier than usual. He couldn’t help but rub his thighs together, and decided that he would worry about it  _ after _ he took care of his pussy making it all but impossible for him to even think. Maybe there was something in the library that would help him figure it out later, but for now, the tiny supreme leader was content to back up and land on his bed, hand making its way back down between his legs without him even needing to think about it.

He was absolutely dripping. He’d gotten turned on without much cause before, of course, but not to this extent - he didn’t even get this wet watching porn. Kokichi spread his legs nonetheless, rubbed his folds carefully and whimpered at the stimulation to the sensitive skin, dipped two fingers experimentally into his core and threw his head back. The supreme leader scissored his fingers inside of himself, stretched himself out as his breathing sped up and he had to bite down the urge to moan and squirm. He didn’t mind spoiling himself, but he didn’t feel like getting too overzealous about it. 

He had no idea whether or not the walls around him were soundproof, after all, and the last thing he wanted was for someone annoyingly stupid and strong like Gonta or Kaito to hear him moaning and burst into the room thinking someone was hurting him. Though if he was being honest, the idea of Kaito breaking in to try and ‘help’ him was enough to send another shiver down his spine. He imagined the half orc pinning him to his bed, biting down on his neck and pressing into him bit by bit until he was full to bursting. He bit his lip, began a steady rhythm of pushing in and out of himself…

The fantasy got old pretty quick, and he whimpered softly as he furrowed his brows. Kokichi breathed out, closed his eyes - his body was buzzing with pleasure, overheating slightly, to the point there wasn’t much point in fantasizing but no way to stop either. He didn’t cease his movements, pushing his fingers into himself a little further and pressing the pads of his fingers against the rough patch on his upper wall. He whimpered, aimed for that spot again with every thrust in and out of himself.

His back arched, and Kokichi came with a sharp whine.

* * *

 

_ “I think we should audition for the new season of Danganronpa,” Shuichi announced out of nowhere during one of their weekly voice calls. Mai still hated the series with a burning passion, but he had come to learn that his first and only friend was completely obsessed with it. For that reason and that reason alone, he agreed to watch it every single week - and he was surprised to find that, despite the rather immense difference between their interests… he started developing romantic feelings for him. Maybe he admired his passion. Maybe he was just thinking too much into the one person willing to spend enough time with him to actually get to know him. _

_ “You know how I feel about Danganronpa,” Mai responded a little uncomfortably, shifting in his chair a little as he fiddled with the end of his t-shirt. But he didn’t want to disappoint the only person that he thought ever cared about him, so he chose to not outwardly say no. Instead, he sucked in a small breath and chose to instead say, “I live in the same town the studio is in, though.” _

_ “You what?” _

_ The response was enough to make Mai jump and scoot back a little, despite knowing that he was wearing headphones and he couldn’t exactly get away from them. “Why didn’t you tell me that? That’s so cool. Can I stay at your place when I come out for our auditions? Hotel prices are way too high for me to afford, and I don’t really want to end up sleeping outside the studio.” The excitement was audible in Shuichi’s voice, and anxiety began building up in his chest. _

_ He couldn’t imagine welcoming Shuichi into his home, with his mostly absent mother and abusive father. He couldn’t even start thinking about being in a Danganronpa. “Look, watching the show is one thing, but I hate Danganronpa. I can’t actually audition for the new season. And you can’t come stay in my house, either… not that I don’t want to see you, but… but my home situation…” _

_ There was silence on the other end of the call for a while, and Mai could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Before he could open his mouth and backtrack, though, Shuichi spoke up once more. His voice held more softness than Mai had ever heard in the three years they’d been friends. _

_ “My home life isn’t the best, either. And I know how you feel about Danganronpa, but it’s something that’s really important to me. And… and if-- no, when-- we survive it? We’ll have enough money to get us both away from our shitty parents. But if we die, what’s a more memorable way to go?” A brief pause. “I already filled out an application to audition.” _

_ Mai bit his lip, let out a soft breath. “I’m not even old enough.” _

_ “You’re only nine months younger than me, just give yourself an extra year.” _

_ He let out a soft sigh, and the quietest “okay” he had ever spoken. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro.

Rantaro Amami was perplexed by this “game,” confused by the Monopad he had been given and constantly worried that someone would do the unthinkable at any given moment. They had been given a motive to kill already - the first person to kill a classmate would get off scotch free, would leave the school without having to go through a trial and punishment. Still, the weeks came and went, and instead of killing each other, the students of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles had settled into a routine and even begun developing friendships. He was still desperate to get out, to look for his sisters, but… he was starting to let down his guard around the rest of the class, slowly but surely, as the sense of deja vu gradually began to fade and Monokuma and the Monokubs became an annoyance rather than authority.

With his hands in his pockets, Rantaro walked past the cafeteria and glanced inside to find Monotaro harassing Kirumi Tojo. The small red bear was trying to get the maid to murder one of their classmates, hovering around her while she tried to get dinner ready and trying to bribe her, but Kirumi seemed to be doing a pretty good job of ignoring him - she simply carried on preparing soup, and Rantaro had to be a little impressed by how easily she seemed to drown Monotaro out.

“Good morning,” he addressed her as he walked into the room, and barely spared the bear a glance as he made an offended sound when Kirumi turned to Rantaro without much hesitation. “Already making lunch?” A glance at the clock told him it was just after nine in the morning - much earlier than the maid usually started cooking. He supposed sixteen mouths were a lot to feed, but he didn’t think that dictated making soup at nine in the morning, especially considering she had six arms to work with.

“No,” Kirumi responded, reaching over to turn the heat down on the stove and only two of her eight eyes looking up from her cooking as she continued speaking to him. Rantaro was glad that she felt comfortable enough around him to know she didn’t need to give him her full attention. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but Kokichi didn’t show up for lunch  _ or _ dinner yesterday. I was making him some soup to help if he isn’t feeling well.” She used her index finger to test the temperature of the soup and two of the spider like limbs attached to her back to pour some soup into a bowl.

He blinked - now that he thought about it, Kirumi was correct. Rantaro hadn’t seen Kokichi once since the previous morning; he hadn’t really thought much of it, considering the small boy didn’t seem to be the most popular of their class. Now that it had been brought to his attention, though, Rantaro felt a little guilty. “How about I take that to his room?” he offered, leaning against the kitchen counter a little. “I’m sure you have a lot of other work to do, and he seems to like me.”

The maid hesitated for a split second before nodding and handing the bowl over to Rantaro. “Let him know that I have cold medicine and tea if he needs any. He doesn’t have to come out of his room to make sure he doesn’t starve.” A small smile appeared across Kirumi’s face, and she quickly moved over to the sink with the pot she was using to wash it. Briefly, Rantaro wondered how often anybody offered to do something for her, but he decided not to ask. He knew she took her job seriously.

With the bowl of soup in his hands, Rantaro turned around and left the kitchen, walking down the hallway and almost running into Tsumugi Shirogane as he opened the front door of the school. He barely caught a glance of the panicked look on her face as she rushed down the hall towards the stairs to the basement with his brows furrowed and a small frown. The changeling had been acting more and more erratic as the weeks went by - he figured she was the only one among them that  _ didn’t _ feel more at ease the longer they went without a murder. He couldn’t help but wonder why. Maybe she thought that the more time passed between them waking up in the lockers and a death, the more painful it would be?

He shrugged and continued walking out of the school, making his way to the dorm building and knocking twice on Kokichi’s door. He thought he heard shuffling inside, but silence followed quickly. “Kokichi? It’s me, I brought you some soup Kirumi made.” There wasn’t much of any response, and Rantaro frowned as he knocked again. “I know you’re in there, I heard you. Can I come in?”

The faintest whimper was audible from inside the dorm room, and Rantaro’s heart skipped a beat. What if Kokichi was in danger? What if someone had finally had enough waiting and decided to start the killing game with one of the two smallest people in the school? “Kokichi? Are you okay?” he asked quickly, reached for the doorknob. He didn’t want to just walk into the other boy’s room without permission, but at the same time… Kokichi hadn’t been out of his room since the previous morning, and if he was hurt… Rantaro would never forgive himself for not walking in.

The green haired boy forced the door to the dorm open, and was surprised to find that Kokichi was not only unharmed, but laying on his bed completely naked with his entire body flushed and covered in sweat. Rantaro blushed, and moved backward quickly, stuttering out an apology; he put the bowl of soup down on the table by Kokichi’s closet as he almost tripped on himself moving out of the dorm. Before he could get much of anywhere, though, the much smaller boy was stumbling off of the bed and was clinging to his shirt with absolutely no shame to be found.

* * *

 

_ Rantaro left the studio of Team Danganronpa after sitting through a long list of auditions. He didn’t want to have anything to do with the show until he actually had to have his memory erased and go back into the killing game, but the people behind the worst weeks of his life thought it would be a good incentive to have auditioners come in and meet one of the participants of the 52nd season. It wasn’t much, but he took it as a sign that the show was starting to lose popularity, if people had to be bribed. _

_ Or maybe it had always been that way. Maybe fans had always been practically begged to become participants. Rantaro wouldn’t know. The entire reason he auditioned for his first season to begin with was an attempt to support his sisters after the death of their father. A simple cash grab; even if he died in the process of the killing game, at least his family would be fed.  _

_ Either way, he now found himself wandering the halls of team Danganronpa’s studio, having shifted to take the shape of one of the more generic looking teenagers that tried out. He didn’t even know the name of the person he looked like now, but he knew that he at least didn’t look like Rantaro Amami with a much shorter and stouter figure, plain black hair, and plain brown eyes, with unimpressive features. He sighed, feeling like he could finally rest, and ducked around a corner to lean against the wall. He found out after getting his normal memories back that not only was he supposed to participate in another killing game, he was also a fan favorite, and the experiences he’d had over the course of the first day of auditions had proven that to him. More than once, someone had fainted just shaking his hand. _

_ Rantaro pulled out his phone and checked a few texts from his sisters, typed out a quick response to tell his oldest sister Yuna when he would be home for dinner. He hoped that he could get back home before night fell, at least. The killing game survivor took a moment to catch his breath before getting ready to step out of the doorway, only to hear two voices walking by and move to the side once more. _

_ “... can’t believe we actually met Rantaro Amami!” _

_ “I think it’s horrible that they’re making him do another killing game if he already did one. He shouldn’t have even needed to do the first one at all. Did you see his face? He looked miserable.” _

_ “Aw, come on, Mai. I thought he was your favorite.” _

_ “He’s handsome, but that doesn’t mean I want him to suffer to see him more…” _

_ As the voices faded out, Rantaro poked his head out of the doorway to see the people who were just talking about him. A boy with a hat and an almost obscene amount of Danganronpa merchandise attached to his backpack, talking animatedly to a short girl who looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up. Rantaro watched them disappear, his brows furrowed, and stepped out, allowing the shift to wear off as he returned to his usual appearance. _

_ Interesting. _

* * *

 

Rantaro didn’t experience heats himself, but he knew what they were. Sex ed and travelling the world had taught him about how, every few months, certain kinds of monsters would experience what could only be described as sex mania. Evolutionarily, they were sort of like a mating season, and there was still that reproductive drive, that meaning had faded and become a bit more casual and shallow. Kind of like everything else relating to sex, honestly.

Still, he wasn’t about to fall to Kokichi’s desperation, even if the smaller boy all but humping his leg like a horny dog was turning him on a little bit. He didn’t exactly have any condoms on him, and  _ mating _ mating with someone while they were in heat was barely different from fucking something while they were drunk. He didn’t want to take advantage of Kokichi or hurt him. He was confused, though - he had been under the impression that the smaller boy was the only human among them.

He wondered if Kokichi himself knew that he was a monster.

“Listen, Kokichi, you’re in heat,” Rantaro tried to explain to the much younger boy while also attempting to remove him from his leg. “Have you just been lying to us about being human?” He still couldn’t quite succeed in peeling him off, but the smaller boy did lean his head back, revealing clouded over and half lidded violet eyes, flushed cheeks and tousled hair. He was adorable. He was attractive. Rantaro shifted his weight onto his other leg. 

“Wha?” the smaller boy slurred out, apparently having trouble even understanding words. “‘m human.” Those big violet eyes blinked lazily, and his grip relaxed enough that Rantaro could finally put his hands underneath Kokichi’s armpits and lift him up. He almost winced at how hot Kokichi’s skin felt; the taller of the two was honestly almost worried that he had a fever as well as going through his first heat. Rantaro carried Kokichi over to his bed, laid him down so that the pillows cushioned his head and hopefully made him a little more comfortable. The poor boy was completely out of it.

“Look, I’m just going to go tell Kirumi what’s going on. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have any boys take care of you when you’re like this.” If there was one thing everybody knew, it was that Kokichi was gay, and having a girl help make sure the small boy didn’t starve to death would probably be for the best. Rantaro moved to get away from Kokichi, only to have his wrist grabbed.

“Please don’t leave,” Kokichi begged him, with purple eyes wide with tears and a little bit of fear in a way that Rantaro could have sworn he’d seen before.

Of course he would be scared. He had no idea what was happening to him.

So the shapeshifter sat down on the edge of the bed with a soft sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsumugi is confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY IM NOT DEAD AND NEITHER IS THIS FIC! i'm so sorry for taking so long, i've been on a total rollercoaster of emotions since at LEAST january and as a result my mental health has kind of been in the dumpster. however, i've been running a kokichi rp blog recently that has really brought back my will to write and my love for this au, so i'm back to updating... VERY sparsely probably but at least i'm updating.

Tsumugi Shirogane didn’t know what to do.

Just a few days after the beginning of season 53, she supplied a motive as she was instructed and hid away in the mastermind’s room shortly after the nighttime announcement in order to touch base with Team Danganronpa and make sure everything was on schedule. However, when she started trying to make a call, there was no answer. When she tried to access the cameras of the studio’s main office, all she got was static. When she tried to check the current ratings of the series, all she got was a blank screen. The complete and utter lack of communication was something she hadn’t been anticipating.

She talked to all the previous surviving masterminds when she was getting ready for this season; they all described having an open line of communication with Team Danganronpa all throughout their killing games. Even Junko Enoshima took instructions and plotted with the writers of the first few seasons when they were still figuring out how the show worked. For her ability to check ratings and see how the show was doing to be cut off was unheard of and unsettling. Certainly if her superiors were going to take away all communication to make the game more  _ genuine _ they would have told her, right? 

Team Danganronpa was made mostly out of control freaks. They wanted to have a handle on everything that happened on the show, just short of sending one of their analysts into the sets with the sixteen participants. If they wanted to stop talking to their mastermind and telling her what to do, they would  _ definitely _ plan ahead of time and tell her about it. Not understanding what was going on, after spending half of her night trying to access her superiors, she was exhausted and decided to wait for a little while before she continued the killing game. She adjusted the programming on the Monokuma and Monokubs to tell them to lay low, to stay out of the way and just be a  _ minor _ annoyance for a while, and tried to hold her headache at bay as she walked back to her dorm room.

For a few weeks, she was completely fine with hanging around and waiting. Spending time with her “classmates,” getting to know them and figuring out what made them tick - they were characters  _ she _ created, sure, but there was something much more personal and fulfilling about talking to them in person. Remembering what they were like during their auditions only made it more fascinating - an excited and overwhelmingly passionate boy could become someone as reserved and anxious as Shuichi, a depressed wallflower could become someone a confident pervert like Miu.

She wondered what  _ she _ was like before she participated in the 52nd season of Danganronpa, but she didn’t care enough to find out. With every moment longer she spent with the participants of the 53rd killing game, the worse she felt about how they would mostly have to die later; the more guilty she became. The people they were before signed up for this, not them…

* * *

 

_ Tsumugi Shirogane was baffled at the fact that she was still alive. She had chosen to sacrifice herself alongside Rantaro Amami, to save two of her classmates, and here she was in the hallway of Team Danganronpa’s studio, being spoken to by a sweet looking woman who had absolutely no business working on a reality show that saw teenagers dying in the name of hope or despair. It was explained to her that Rantaro was still alive as well, that he would be waking up any hour now and she would get to work with him in the very near future as well, but there was a special opportunity ready for Tsumugi that she was absolutely sure the young woman would accept. _

_ A special opportunity with Team Danganronpa - those were five words that Tsumugi had thought about a lot in her life. Either her biggest dreams were going to come true, or she was going to go into more torture than she had ever even thought about. The cosplayer wrung her hands together as she followed the still chattering woman, thought back to all of the fanfictions she wrote about the Danganronpa series, back to the hours she spent slaving away at cosplays for Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri, Celestia Ludenberg, Chiaki Nanami, Izuru Kamukura, Nagito Komaeda… _

_ She very nearly fainted when the door to the head writer and CEO of the company was reached and the woman escorting her knocked on it. A rather sleazy looking man opened the door, and a grin appeared across his face. “Shirogane-san!” he greeted her, reached out to lead her into the room by her shoulder and shut the door behind them. Normally, Tsumugi would be a little nervous about this situation, but at the moment she was too starstruck to think much of anything besides “holy shit.” _

_ “Thank you for agreeing to come down here,” he told her, like she had any sort of a choice. “We did plenty of research on you while we were watching you in the killing game, and we found your writing about our series.” Printed out copies of her fanfictions were placed on the desk between them, and Tsumugi blinked incredulously, a blush spreading across her face. She couldn’t believe the writers of her favorite show actually read what she wrote at two in the morning while crying over Naegami. “Your characterizations, theories, and twists meet our standards. How would you like to be brought on as a writer for the 53rd season of Danganronpa? And while we’re at that, would you like to make another appearance in the next season as the mastermind character?” _

_ Her heart pounded in her chest, blue eyes wide as she stared at the smug looking head writer. “I would love that,” she responded, and felt like she was in a dream as the paperwork was laid out for her to sign. As she dotted the i’s on her name, a grin spread across her face. _

_ She was going to write the greatest killing game ever shown on television. _

* * *

 

After three weeks had gone by with no word from Team Danganronpa, Tsumugi felt like she was about to snap from stress. She paced up and down the halls of the dorm building after she was sure everyone else had left, glancing to the pixelated images of each of her classmates above their rooms. She didn’t understand what was going on, or why any of it was happening. At this point, with no deaths, someone would have tried to contact her -  or maybe they would have overridden Monokuma and had  _ her _ killed before anything else to try and set an example to the rest of the students.

Could a season of Danganronpa even go on without a mastermind pulling the strings? It was an interesting idea, but the whole ‘character you think is dead ran the show’ thing had already been done. If they were going to try it, they would probably make a season from scratch where Monokuma was his own character with nobody controlling him … curse her tendency to overthink everything and anything Danganronpa related. That was all she could remember from before season 52 - an all encompassing obsession with the show she now worked for and donated her entire life to.

For a single, fleeting moment, it crossed through her mind that this must have been by  _ design. _ Team Danganronpa probably wanted her to think that there was nothing to her but the show she participated in. Frustrated, she slumped against the wall next to the door to Kokichi’s room, her hands clasped over her ears and her breathing beginning to quicken and become more shallow. Panic coursed through her mind and veins, but a whiff of something nearby was enough to make her pause.

Changelings rarely went into heat - they only did so if they took themselves into a family of monsters that did. Tsumugi, thankfully, was raised by a human family, but she still had the ability to smell the scent another monster gave off when they went into heat - and that scent was, undeniably, coming out of Kokichi’s bedroom. The one person in the season 53 roster that was supposed to be fully human, and that hadn’t even gone quite right -  _ nothing _ was going according to plan this season, and after going for so long without questioning Team Danganronpa, she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore.

Tsumugi ran out of the dorm hall and began making her way to the school - her plan to wait it out clearly wasn’t working. She would try one last time to contact her superiors, and then she would kick off this killing game without anyone’s approval. Surely that would get an audience’s attention - surely that would make someone contact her. She was fully aware that her distress was showing on her face as she pushed past Rantaro and rushed to the basement, but she didn’t especially care. She was the plain one, she drifted under the radar of her classmates, and that gave her the extra leeway she needed.

* * *

 

_ The last few months had been nothing but a blur to Tsumugi between trying to set up everything she needed for Danganronpa V3, trying to write out how the season would play out, and trying to keep on top of auditions and give her advice to casting directors about how she thought offered talents and personalities that would compliment the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and the story she was setting up. Every Danganronpa trope she could think of was included, and she was pleased with the clever little meta jokes and fourth wall breaks she was able to sneak into the script for Monokuma and the Monokubs along with her own character. It was genius. It was her magnum opus. _

_ She was writing the 53rd season as the greatest fanfiction she’d ever created; her analysis of every past season ran through her mind as she tried to figure out how the plot should work. A double murder from misguided love could be turned into something much more terrifying. A serial killer hidden among the students could be someone along the veins of Peko Pekoyama, but much more sympathetic, much more likely to survive through the game. Every time a draft was approved, she was giddy and excited; she was struggling to sleep because of how much anticipation she felt. _

_ With how busy she had been keeping herself with preparations - there were only a few months between seasons, so she needed to act fast - she hadn’t really had much time at all to think about her fellow survivors. She knew that Rantaro was also supposed to make a return for season 53, and she knew that he was much more involved in public relations than she was - showing up to auditions, meeting with fans, essentially being the face of the corporation for a while as they tried to pull more teenagers into auditioning. The franchise was struggling - but she would save it with her masterful writing. _

_ She hummed with a pile of papers in her arms as she moved from the room in the studios Team Danganronpa had provided for her to the office where her most recent draft was due one warm evening, a pep in her step. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she very nearly ran into none other than Rantaro, who was presumably making his way to his own room. _

_ “Oh! Hello!” she chirped - during the 52nd killing game, Rantaro had been one of her best friends alongside the protagonist. She assumed that, since they were still supposed to be pretty close to their characters from the game, that would be largely the same… but when he turned to face her, she saw nothing but exhaustion in green eyes. His face was pale, dark circles under his eyes. She was almost startled by the difference between this person and the boy she knew during the killing game. _

_ “Tsumugi. Hi.” His voice didn’t sound much different from how he looked. He stared at her for a few moments before sighing and turning his face from her once more. “I hear you’re one of the writers for this next season. You’re working on continuing the show. One of the people who auditioned said that this next season can probably make or break the series.” There was another pregnant pause, and Tsumugi remained silent, just staring at Rantaro; he was so somber, so sad compared to her. The months had aged him and made him into something so far from who she knew. _

_ He sighed, and began walking away from her before she even had a chance to say anything. His final words to her, though, reverberate in her skull like a gunshot. _

_ “I hope you’re doing the right thing.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mugi is doing her best and that's what counts


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coping with heat gets a little easier with someone talking to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pregame kokichi... is baby  
> he should have his actual name soon i promise

Although the heat and need filling his lower body was all consuming and borderline painful, Kokichi was beginning to develop an ability to, at the very least, pretend it wasn’t there a  _ little _ bit. He had no clue how long he’d been locked away in his room, but as Rantaro talked to him about whatever dull nonsense their classmates had gotten up to over the last couple of days, he got a sense of why someone came by to check on him. The shapeshifter didn’t let him get too close again, which he understood - it couldn’t be a comfortable situation to have a horny half fish humping your leg with hardly any control over his actions at the moment - but still found himself a little hurt over. At least the taller boy was letting him hold tightly onto his hand, so long as he didn’t try to get it any lower than his shoulders.

It took him maybe twenty minutes to compose himself enough to sit up with a pillow firmly held between his thighs. He didn’t really feel very hungry, but he knew that if it had been a while since he last ate he definitely needed to, so in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, he mumbled out a request for the soup Kirumi sent over for him. The gentle smile Rantaro sent his way as he handed over the bowl of soup, though, was more than enough to make Kokichi man up and start shovelling soup into his mouth. “Sorry, it’s probably a little cold,” the shapeshifter apologized with a faint laugh.

He didn’t want to admit that his entire body feeling like it was on fire made the idea of eating something hot  _ extremely _ unappealing, so he just shrugged as he kept eating. Coherent thought was starting to filter back into his mind alongside the frantic need to get laid and get laid  _ now, _ and he found that made it a little easier to speak full sentences. “Sorry for throwing myself at you as soon as you walked into the room. I’ve never had one of these before. I thought I was human.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Rantaro laughed gently, and Kokichi wondered if the green eyed shapeshifter had  _ always _ been this attractive or if it was just the melting sensation in his groin making him see everyone through horny glasses. Maybe it was a little bit of both, but really, he found himself grateful that Rantaro had been the one to come check up on him. He didn’t know what he would do if someone more high strung or judgemental had to see him like this.

For a second, he considered if it had been Shuichi to approach him, and if he had any more blood capable of rushing to his face he would turn even redder. “Thanks for checking on me,” the shorter of the two sighed softly, fully aware that he didn’t really sound like himself… really, he didn’t  _ feel _ too much like himself. He felt quieter. More unsure. He didn’t know how he felt about it.

* * *

 

_ “Come on, let’s go back!” Shuichi chirped after he was satisfied meandering around the Danganronpa studio; their auditions had ended hours earlier, but because his friend was so excited to be among the people who made the show he loved more than anything else in the world, Mai agreed to wander around and check out the fellow hopeful participants. He was exhausted, but at the same time, he was glad to be out of the house for a while; to be away from his parents was a welcome relief, even if he had to pretend he enjoyed a series he hated for the sake of fitting in and making Shuichi happy. _

_ He was fine with hanging around for a little while longer. Shuichi’s stay at his home had gone mostly well so far, but that was just because both of his parents had been working a lot for once in their lives and had been staying out of the apartment. That didn’t mean he wanted to risk it by going back before nightfall, though, so he gave his friend a small, nervous smile. “Why don’t we get something to eat before we walk back? I don’t think I have enough food in the fridge to make dinner at home.” _

_ Mai was only ever good at lying when it was to avoid something about himself or his home life. _

_ Luckily for him, though, Shuichi seemed to buy it pretty easily. “Okay! I’m gonna go order us something from the cafeteria.” He took that to mean that the other boy was probably going to use this as an excuse to check out the merch situation again, but he was fine with having a minute to breathe. As much as he liked being around his friend, and as much as he’d been developing something of a romantic attraction to him, he could use a little space after being around him for a day. _

_ As Shuichi bounded off to get food and probably another fifty Monokuma pins he didn’t really need, Mai sighed heavily and leaned against the wall of the studio. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he looked up toward the sky, wondering what life decisions had led him to this point and trying to figure out whether or not he regretted them. He closed his eyes, feeling at peace for the first time in the last few weeks of planning for Shuichi’s visit and the last day of having him for company. _

_ He almost forgot where he was until he heard a very familiar voice speak up next to him. _

_ “Hey. For someone who just auditioned, you don’t seem very excited.” _

_ He jolted, turning quickly and looking up into the green eyes of the one and only Rantaro Amami. His heart rate spiked, and he couldn’t help but move back a couple of steps, overwhelmed by the presence of one of the only Danganronpa characters he’d ever found it in him to like - and someone he’d thought of more than once while seeking release in bed, if he was being honest. Mai didn’t speak up in response, just opened and closed his mouth like an awkward fish, but luckily Rantaro spoke up first. _

_ “So, what’s your story? Tell me why you look so miserable.” _

* * *

 

There was a certain sort of familiarity to this - to being taken care of and talking to Rantaro about things he hadn’t really fully understood until it affected him directly. Kokichi didn’t really care enough to question it at the moment; he just wanted to ignore the faint flashes of the past he kept getting and just enjoy the company of someone he happened to be very attracted to while he happened to be agonizingly horny because his body decided it was time to mate or whatever.

It felt a little weird being the only one in the room that was completely in the nude, so without moving the pillow from between his legs Kokichi shifted over to reach to the floor and pick up the undershirt he’d discarded there. He pulled it over his upper body, feeling a little suffocated by the fabric but wanting to feel a little bit more put together than he knew he actually was. God, he wanted so badly to just be capable of thinking without his groin throbbing every two seconds.

He wanted to rub another one out, he  _ really _ wanted to rub another one out. What little dignity he’d managed to scrape back together was the only thing stopping him, but he could  _ feel _ his mind beginning to turn hazy again. Normally skilled fingers picked at the bottom edge of his shirt clumsily in an attempt to keep himself grounded to this planet. “You know…” he spoke slowly, barely resisting the urge to lick dry lips. “I… I wanted you before this, Rantaro.”

Rantaro blinked over at him -  _ damn those eyelashes god damn it why is he so pretty i want him so bad i want him now _ \- and a gentle smile made a reappearance after just a second. “Well, I’m flattered, but you’re still out of luck. Heats take away a lot of your ability to know what’s going on. It’s kind of like being drunk on hormones, and since we aren’t mates and we didn’t talk about this beforehand, I’d be taking advantage of you by trying to sleep together.” A small pause. “Maybe when you’re not in heat anymore, or if we talk about it before your next one. But not right now.”

What he was saying made sense, and Kokichi was glad to have at least a hint that maybe Rantaro had some sort of attraction towards him as well, but that didn’t make any of this less infuriating and frustrating. He so desperately wanted a little bit of relief, and he knew that actually having sexual relations with someone else  _ might _ get him a little closer to that. Right now, he didn’t really care that he would  _ technically _ be getting taken advantage of - that was a problem for later Kokichi, not current Kokichi. By now, though, he knew nothing he said would make the shapeshifter change his mind.

He was a little startled out of his pouting when one gentle hand reached over and ruffled dark hair. Kokichi blinked up to Rantaro, and his heart lurched faintly when he realized the taller boy was getting up off the bed. “Now that you understand what’s going on a little better, I’m gonna go get some other things done,” he explained pretty quickly upon seeing the look on the half mermaid’s face. “I’ll be back in a little while, I promise. And if I can’t come back, I’ll send Kirumi or Shuichi or something to keep an eye on you and make sure everything’s alright.”

Kokichi bit his lip - he wanted Rantaro to stay, but he also didn’t really want to be so clingy and needy that he wanted to hold the other boy back from doing anything else. So he nodded.

* * *

 

_ “So, you hate this show, you can’t watch a good portion of it without feeling sick to your stomach… but you still came out and put in an audition? All because of your friend?” _

_ Well, when Rantaro was repeating his own reasoning back to him in that tone, it didn’t sound as reasonable. Mai sighed and nodded, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt with anxious thin fingers. “I mean, I didn’t want him to have to go alone. I know Shuichi, he’s a pretty nice person no matter what his obsession with this stupid show would make you think… he might act like he wants to be the blackened and he wants to commit the unsolvable murder, but I don’t think he could actually pull it off. Especially if they make him forget how obsessed he is with Danganronpa.” _

_ “You know, Ouma, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you liked him.” _

_ His head snapped up, cheeks turning bright pink. Was it really that obvious. “I… I don’t need to have a crush on my friend to want to stick with him,” he protested halfheartedly, and immediately went back to avoiding eye contact with a faint sigh. “I’m not gonna make it too far in life anyway. The odds to get in aren’t too good, but even if they were better… I might as well die helping my friend and have kind of a chance to get the money to get away from my parents if I survive, you know? I’d rather go out doing something good for Shuichi even if I have to put up with a ‘game’ I detest.” _

_ Rantaro laughed faintly, and shook his head. “I can’t tell if you’re too nice for your own good or if you’re just a huge pushover.” He gave Mai a careful pat on the back, then hesitated for a moment before pulling a small notepad out of his pocket and writing a number down on it. “I’d better get going. Here’s my phone number. Let’s keep in touch, even if you don’t get into the season.” _

_ Stunned, he held out a hand and let Rantaro press the paper into it. “Yeah,” he breathed out. “Yeah, that sounds good.” _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro tries to investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow frequent updates am i sick or something

_ “I have something to tell you.” _

_ It had been a few weeks now since Rantaro begun a correspondence with Ouma - he had gotten to know his new friend rather well, and had somehow found the ability to sneak away from Danganronpa Studios at night in order to meet with him in town. Ouma seemed appreciative of an excuse to leave home even more often, especially after Shuichi returned to his own hometown when their visit ended. He always feared he would be the first to declare he had something to say in such a nervous tone - the executives were beginning to figure out who was going to be accepted into season 53, and things were looking pretty likely as far as Ouma and Shuichi’s auditions were going. _

_ “What is it?” Rantaro asked, folding his hands to rest his chin on them and leaning forward. He didn’t need to put a lot of effort into keeping his usual easy going demeanor - he couldn’t think of anything Ouma could say that would shock him at this point. That seemed to put his friend a little at ease - the shorter of the two sighed softly, and looked down at his hands folded in his lap. There were a few moments of silence, and the survivor didn’t pressure his friend into speaking up. _

_ “I’m not a girl,” Ouma finally spoke up, the admission almost blurted out as his cheeks turned a little pink. “I’m. I’m trans. A boy. I pretend to be a girl because my parents wouldn’t really react well if I told them I’m not one. You and Shuichi are the only people I’ve ever told about this.” His words were beginning to grow faster, blurred together slightly. “I’ve known since I was really little but I can’t really transition too much because my parents would notice and they would hurt me and the bullying would just get worse if I suddenly started coming to school in a boys’ uniform and a binder and -” _

_ “Hey, hey, slow down,” Rantaro spoke up as he noticed Ouma getting a little more hysterical, reaching out to put his hands on the other boy’s shoulders. He untensed a little then, and sniffled with tears beginning to well up in violet eyes - he still avoided looking at the survivor’s face. “You’re my friend. I accept you, whether you’re a boy or a girl, and I’m glad you trust me enough to come out to me.” He gave Ouma a gentle smile as the other finally looked over to him, relief evident on his face. “What do you want me to call you now?” _

_ Ouma blinked twice, shocked - as if he hadn’t been expecting the conversation to go this well. “I don’t know. I haven’t figured out a name,” he admitted, letting out a soft sigh with his cheeks brightening a little. “Shuichi tried to help me a little to figure one out, but all the suggestions he made were after Danganronpa characters, and I don’t want to do that.” _

_ Rantaro laughed. “I don’t blame you… why don’t you make a list of names you like and go over them with me or Shuichi? We can help you with it without bringing up Danganronpa.” _

* * *

 

Stepping out of Kokichi’s dorm, Rantaro felt like he’d aged a hundred years - not by any fault of the other boy’s, more because the Ultimate Academy and the situation surrounding it was getting tiring. First, there was a killing game, and only two students would be able to survive; then, just after a  _ reason _ to kill had been introduced, Monokuma and his children disappeared and most references to any kind of murder were gone. Now, with one of his classmates going through his first heat…

He wanted answers. 

He didn’t know what he was supposed to do once he  _ found _ them, but he knew he would figure it out once he did. Rantaro quickly stepped into his room, grabbed the Survivor Perk Monopad from where it sat on the table and sat heavily down on the bed. Unlocking it revealed the same cryptic message that had always been there. An odd sense of familiarity always washed over him whenever he saw it, an acceptance that he must have been the one to write it even though he had no memory of the event. For now, though, he was concerned with the map of the school.

One thing caught his eye. In weeks of hanging around the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles and memorizing where everything important was, nobody had noticed something different about the library - nothing that hinted at the additional room clearly marked on his map. Curious, he turned on his regular Monopad, checked the map supplied there - the extra room wasn’t there, either. So that meant only two people knew of the existence of this hidden room; himself, and - he assumed - the mastermind. Perhaps that was their base of operations… perhaps that was where he would be able to catch them in the act. An idea began to develop in the back of Rantaro’s mind.

He would wait until everyone else was distracted or asleep, and find some way into that hidden room. With a newfound motivation to find out the secrets of the academy and potentially find a way out, he tucked the Survivor Perk into one of his pockets and walked out of his dorm, very nearly barreling into one Shuichi Saihara on his way down the stairs.

“Ah, Shuichi,” he greeted the vampire with a relaxed smile, careful not to let any of his jittery mood appear on his face. He couldn’t afford to let anyone figure out that something was going on - let alone the Ultimate Detective. “I hate to bother you, but, you know how Kokichi’s been hiding away in his room for the last couple of days? It turns out he’s not actually fully human and is in heat. Do you think you could keep an eye on him for a little bit to make sure he’s alright until I get back?”

Shuichi blinked at him, and Rantaro realized a little too late that this was probably a lot of information to process at once. The detective took it like a champ, though, and gave a small, somewhat shakier smile. “Yeah, of course.”

* * *

 

_ Although he’d listened to Ouma ramble on and on about Shuichi Saihara countless times, he hadn’t yet met the aspiring detective in person - and he was perfectly happy keeping it that way, if he was being honest. He’d dealt with enough rabid fans of Danganronpa since season 52 ended that he never wanted to meet another. _

_ Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He’d exchanged words with Shuichi  _ once, _ when he had his audition for season 53. It was long enough ago by now, though, that he’d completely forgotten the events of those five minutes - and it didn’t help much that it blurred together with a million other auditions and a million other fans he shook the hands of (he’d spent hours sanitizing his hands afterward). He almost wished he’d paid more attention to Shuichi and Ouma outside of following them outside after sitting through auditions, if for nothing else than to see the total polar opposites in their attitudes. _

_ Ouma, shy and sensitive; Shuichi, apparently much more enthusiastic. Ouma, following through with a plan he didn’t really want anything to do with; Shuichi, finally seeing the goal he’d been looking forward to achieving his entire life.  _

_ When he did end up meeting Shuichi outside of the studio, it was completely on accident; he was wandering around town, a hood covering his features, when he nearly ran into the boy while walking by the train station. Unfortunately, that hood was not quite enough to hide himself from the aspiring detective, who stared at him with a shocked expression moments after emerald green eyes met with gold. _

_ He wondered if Ouma told him about their friendship. He supposed that wouldn’t make much sense - if there was one thing he’d learned about the shy boy since they started talking, it was that he believed Danganronpa survivors deserved to at least live relatively quiet lives after their killing games. And if there was one thing he could assume about Shuichi, it was that meeting him would make his life significantly less quiet. Still, he gave an easygoing smile and tilted his head, giving a slight bow in greeting.  “You’re Shuichi Saihara, right?” _

_ Just the knowledge that Rantaro knew his name, and Shuichi looked like he was about to faint. “Yeah, um! I’m Shuichi! And you’re Rantaro Amami! It’s nice to meet you!” Rather enthusiastically and quickly, he bowed - his eyes didn’t leave the survivor, though. This kid was already more polite than he’d initially been expecting; at least he hadn’t started grabbing at him like most fans did. Unfortunately, it didn’t take very long for the conversation to drift where he didn’t want it to go. “I watched your whole season! I thought it was really cool how you uncovered the mastermind and saved Kiko and Akihito! Even my friend that doesn’t really like Danganronpa thought you were really cool. I hope that you can be just as smart and cool in season 53, and I hope my character gets along with you, and…” _

* * *

 

Something was up with Tsumugi.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about her behavior was strange as he knelt in the library, examining the shelves and pretending that he was looking for something to read. For one, she was much quieter than she usually was; it wasn’t that she was  _ talkative, _ she just… liked to mimic Satsuki Kiryuin with a heel clack every so often. For another, it was very rare for her to not announce her presence with some anime reference or another half the time she saw somebody else. This time, though, he didn’t even know she was in the room until long hair brushed against his hair and startled him.

Looking up revealed a changeling hovering over him, a serious expression on her face as she studied the shelf he was looking at. “I don’t think there’s any manga over here,” he spoke up without really thinking about it, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. He didn’t want to admit it, but a silent and analytical Tsumugi was… a little unsettling. “You might want to check the other side of the room.”

“Mm.” Her responsive hum did little to alleviate his nerves, blue eyes glancing down to meet green. She didn’t look like herself at all - there was something more… cold and unhinged behind thick glasses. Rantaro almost wanted to ask if she was alright, especially as her frown turned into a smile and she settled into her usual plain persona. He didn’t know if she was trying to hide her own worries from everyone else for the sake of keeping everyone relaxed, or…

Or if she was trying to hide something underneath that almost  _ painfully _ normal cosplayer. For her to come into the library, go to the opposite side of the room from where the manga she normally went for was, and hover over him with such an odd expression… the gears in Rantaro’s mind were starting to turn, and it was enough to make his skin crawl. He hadn’t quite figured out the mystery behind the library yet, but he didn’t want to with another in the room - not someone he was beginning to think might be the mastermind. He didn’t  _ want _ to suspect her… but something in his gut told him he was right.

With an uneasy smile, Rantaro rose to his feet and moved away from Tsunugi as quickly as he could without looking suspicious, grabbing the closest book to his hand as he was going. “Well, I found what I was looking for, so I’d better get going,” he lied through his teeth and gave a laugh he hoped sounded easygoing. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tsumugi responded, and raised a hand in a small wave. “See you tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what would you guys think about alternating perspectives a little? i'd like to try and give every v3 character a bit of time since i've put so much thought into this au and adjusting who we see might do a bit toward that. kokichi, rantaro, and tsumugi will remain the main focus

**Author's Note:**

> comment if you enjoyed please!!!


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